SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — As of Friday, Illinois moves into the next-to-last phase of Restore Illinois.
Phase four, “Revitalization,” allows for restaurants and bars to resume indoor seating.
Additionally, gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, child care and schools may resume services, youth sports may continue, and fitness centers can reopen.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike called it an achievement.
“If you weren’t originally sure staying at home, masking, physical distancing, and washing your hands help slow disease transmission, hopefully, you’re a believer now,” she said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was cautiously optimistic.
“As more aspects of the economy open, and more person-to-person interactions take place, there are many more opportunities for the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
“The virus has not gone away. We expect the journey ahead to be difficult.”
Pritzker said Thursday marked a milestone, with over 30,000 tests performed over a 24-hour period.
He said even as testing continues to increase throughout the state, positive cases were down 76% from what they were at the peak of the pandemic, which he said took place during the first week of May.
“We’ve seen a 67% decrease in ventilator since reaching a high in mid-April,” he said.
Pritzker reiterated a refrain he used when he first introduced the Restore Illinois plan.
“I’m not afraid to protect the people of Illinois by moving a region back to an earlier phase if we see a surge,” he said.
“Ours will not be one of the states that takes no action in response to a return to the peak.”
Unlike the 28-day rule that was used to advance through phases one through four, phase five, “Illinois Restored,” will not be implemented until there is a vaccine, widely available treatment, or a lack of new cases over an extended period of time.
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